Mt. Fuji

Wednesday, 11 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

We got up early, braved the cold and made a trip to Mt. Fuji and the Hakone area. We decided the easiest way to see the countryside would be by tour bus. Not my favorite mode of transportation ~ I prefer to explore on my own but, like I said, this was “easy”.

There are 10 stations on Mt. Fuji with the 10th being the summit. During the summer months, you can drive as far as the 5th station but we were only able to go to the 2nd station. It was very cold and windy so I’m glad I packed our hat and gloves. FM and I are weather wimps but FG LOVED it. Guess we’ll toughen up in upstate NY next winter.

After the Mt. Fuji visit, we went to Hanoke Lake for lunch, took a sky gondola and saw beautiful views of the volcanic Hakone mountains.
The cable car let us off at the FREEZING Owakudani Valley a.k.a. Valley of Hell. There are sulphur springs brewing all over and it’s very desolate looking.

We then drove to Ashi Lake and took a “pirate” ship cruise around the lake.

It was a good diversion to get out of the city and see the countryside. Tomorrow is FG’s day as we are heading to Disneyland. This will be her first visit to any Disneyland.

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Tokyo Day Three (Monday)

Tuesday, 10 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

We braved the subway system and made our way to the Ginza District which is a very vibrant area of Tokyo. Our first stop was the Sony building to gawk at all the newest tech toys. It didn’t take long to realized we’re woefully behind in the tech world except for my new digital camera ~ thanks, Mom.

A sidenote about the metro (subway) in Tokyo: it’s very clean, efficient and extremely QUIET even though it’s full of people! No one talks and cell phones are prohibited. I noticed more than a few passengers would nod off to nap. Just when I was wondering how many people missed their stops because they were sleeping, the woman sitting across from me woke up with a start and jumped out of her chair and ran out the exit. Too funny.

At the park, we caught a cruise boat for an hour ride to the Asakusa District. We walked to the Senso-ji shrine and the five level pagoda. The Senso-ji shrine has a golden image of Kannon (the buddist goddess of Mercy) but, unfortunately, it’s not on public display. There was lots to do at the temple including checking FG’s ‘fortune’ and bathing ourselves in the burning incense so as to encourage good health.

Tomorrow we head to Mt. Fuji and Hakone areas.

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Tokyo Day Two (Sunday)

Monday, 9 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

At the Meiji Shrine

We enjoyed another full day in Tokyo. I’m certainly getting some great excercise with all the walking I’ve been doing.

We went to Easter mass at a Franciscan Chapel. The friars were very nice and after the mass, all visitors were asked to stand, give their name and state where they lived. There were people from all over including: from Ireland, Zambia, Australia, Singapore and more than a couple from the U.S.

After a delicious champagne brunch at the New Sanno, it was time to tackle the “metro”. The subway here is clean, efficient and comfortable but it does take a lot of concentration to get the hang of it. We caught the subway to an area calledShibuya-Ku where we found the Meiji Jingu Shrine which is located in a beautiful park called Yoyogi Park. Harajuku is at the entrance to the park and there are strange looking characters all dressed up ~ mostly young teenage girls in Gothic wear (and other fun costumes). It all seems to be in good fun and they don’t mind if you take their photos. They actually pose for you.

We had another gorgeous day. Hopefully it will continue for our trip to Mt. Fuji and Disneyland.

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Happy 12th Anniversary to my Favorite Man

Sunday, 8 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

It was 12 years ago today when I said “I DO” and, happily, after all these years, I’d still say “I do.”

I’d planned the wedding long distance since we were living at Ft. Riley and the wedding was in Charleston so I was prepared for minor hiccups during the event. In the end, all went well. We were surrounded by family and good friends~ what else could be more important?! The weather couldn’t have been better. The only glitch was I was late for the ceremony but that’s a story for another day. The priest did mention to FM it was the first time the BRIDE had been late for one of his weddings. That made FM sweat just a little 😉

Happy Anniversary to my Favorite Man ~ here’s to many more traveling years.

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Spring in Tokyo

Saturday, 7 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

Tokyo Tower

We arrived last night in Tokyo! We’re loving all the sights and sounds the big city of 12 million has to offer.

It was an hour and 15 minute drive from Narita Airport to The New Sanno Hotel ~ FG was sleeping on the bus before we left the terminal. The New Sanno is an Armed Forces Recreation Center run by the Navy. It’s a good deal if you’re an ID card holder. Great location and inexpensive. They were sold out for tonight so we moved to the ANA Intercontinental Hotel which is especially luxurious. It’s a fun one night splurge. We’re back to the New Sanno tomororw.We managed to get in a full day of sight seeing. We walked from The New Sanno to a beautiful park named Arisugawa. The cherry blossom trees are blooming everywhere in Tokyo and the park was no exception.

After we moved to ANA Intercontinental, we walked around the Roppongi area. Lots of shops and restaurants. We then went to the top of the Tokyo Tower which is the tallest free standing iron structure in the world. It’s 13m higher then the Eiffel Tower. The view from the top was spectacular but we couldn’t see Mt. Fugi due to low lying clouds. The tower opened in 1958 and is lit up in orange lights in the winter/spring and then in incandescent white lights in summer. We have a direct view of the tower from our room at the ANA hotel. Perhaps that’s why the beer at the rooftop bar on the 36th floor is $10.00 a bottle.

FG got to choose the dinner location and she went with ~ Hard Rock Tokyo. She added yet another HR t-shirt to her collection. After dinner, we stumbled on to a Lush store. Very expensive but I was running low so I couldn’t resist a bath bomb or three. For those who don’t know, Lush is an all-natural soap/body care company. They smell wonderful so I stock up when ever I’m in a location that has a Lush store.

Tomorrow is Easter and we think we found an English speaking mass. After mass, we’re heading to the New Sanno Easter Brunch extravaganza and we might even see the Easter Bunny.

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Flashback Friday: Last Easter at Home 2002

Friday, 6 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

Easter is a holiday I would prefer to spend at home but we always seem to be traveling, mostly because spring break falls during that time. Our last Easter celebrated at home was in 2002 and it was a really wonderful Easter.  Standing room only at mass because all the twice a year Catholics attended.  After church, there was a quick Easter egg hunt and then we went to brunch with other expat friends:

We’ll be in Tokyo for Easter, but that’s OK, my 2002 Easter memory always brings a smile to my face and I’m REALLY thankful we spent Easter at home with such special friends.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

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Right Turn

Tuesday, 3 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

Thankfully, Typhoon Kong Rey made a right turn and avoided Guam almost completely. We’re expierencing very little rain and none of the strong winds. What a relief! We were a little worried the power would go out and we’d miss our favorite reality show “The Amazing Race” ~ as you can see we have our priorities.

Base Command, Kuam News, Pacific Daily News, etc did a great job keeping everyone  informed regarding typhoon. Even though the storm was a non-starter, it never hurts to have practice runs so people get use to keeping their emergency supplies updated.  

Unfortunately, Saipan is still in it’s path so please say a prayer that Kong Rey turns a little more and by passes the CNMI.

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Kong Rey Update

Sunday, 1 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

Looks like tropical storm Kong Rey is heading right for Guam. The storm currently has 50 mph winds which extend out 85 miles from the center.  It’s expected to intensify into a typhoon by morning and may hit Guam on Tuesday around 6 am.  For a very witty account of storm preparations and a storm tracking map, check out The Parker Pens.

We’re finishing up with the last of the laundry and vacuuming.  I think we’re as ready as we can be. Of course, I’m more than a little worried about the dogs at GAIN. They are not well protected from the winds or rain.

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Not As Described In The Brochure

Sunday, 1 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

When we moved here, we were told the Typhoon season started in June and went through December. I woke up this morning to “storm warning” on the front page of the local newspaper. There’s a tropical storm, called Kong Rey, west of Pohnpei and heading toward the Marianas Islands (including Guam).  My first reaction was WHAT? I thought we were out of the Typhoon Season. Not so, according to the Pacific Daily News. We’re in the secondary typhoon season which really means Guam is always subject to a Typhoon 😦

We started using our storm supplies once we found out we were moving because we don’t want to be stuck with items we can’t ship. Thankfully, we still have plenty of gas for the generator since getting gas now would be a pain. The lines at the gas stations are a little crazy. FM managed to get the last three cases of Budweiser at the shopette so he’s all set 😉

I’m not thrilled with the name of the storm. Translated to English, it’s King Kong, which sounds more than a little ominous!

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Opps…

Sunday, 1 April, 2007 by Beachbums1

This past Tuesday, I grabbed some left-over french bread and the digital camera before heading out the door to pick up FG from school. I whisked her off to Tarague Beach so we could take a walk on the beach and feed the bread to the fish. We did walk a little ways out on the rocks, but no swimming was involved since she still has her cast. At least, I thought there wouldn’t be any swimming.  There were lots of fish, big and small, enjoying our bread. As we turned to leave, my zorrie (flip flop) got caught on a jagged rock and I went into the water in what seemed like slow motion. Unfortunately, I cut my right hand  on the rocks ~ ugh. But an even bigger UGH was my new digital camera (a gift from my mom for Christmas) was in my pocket and got soaked! It didn’t survive the salt water. 😦

So, no new photos for a few days.

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